The Death Penalty

Humans are an interesting species, and human life and the government controlling it even more so, but the government in our great country of America does not only jurisdic how we live, but if we live. The capital punishment is a large issue, full of emotion and long histories. The debates on the death penalty often fall on the morality of the issue at hand and the necessity for what it accomplishes. Supporters of the death penalty often argue that maybe the criminals will escape the jailhouses or cause trouble within the prisons, and those against it will argue that it is morally wrong to kill someone for justice in a place where killing human beings is illegal. Well, those are great arguments, but I think that those who are against this “ultimate price” are better supported in their argument, so I shall share my facts and opinions so that you may see why this slaughter of slaughterers must come to an end.

Is it right for the government that has outlawed murder to take human life, even that of one who has broken laws that are borderline inhuman (rape, murder, etc.) If we wronged someone for every wrong they inflicted upon us, when would the wrongs stop? An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind, and a leg for a leg leaves everyone in wheelchairs. If death is punishment for murderers, what should the punishment for rapists be? If we return the favor are we any better than those we are killing? Think of the emotional scars inflicted upon the family of the deceased, is that not cruel and unusual? When you are not only punishing the the offender but their friends and family, is that fair to those people? Life in prison is much more reasonable, both morally and reality wise, studies have shown that murderers not deterred by the death penalty. “How likely is it, really, that a killer will be more deterred by the risk of the death penalty than by having to spend the rest of his life in prison? The claim fails the test of common sense.” - Bloomberg View, February 23, 2014.

How accurate is the death penalty anyways? Does everyone who dies to our American “justice” really deserve to? Of course not, perfection is not a human quality, and it will never be one. Racism and other forms of prejudice run rampant through humans everywhere, and, no matter how hard we strive, is in our court system as well. “And whereas current evidence and technological advances have shown that as many as three hundred people... have been wrongly convicted of capital crimes in America in the last century” - The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, April 2003. Those 300 are a stain upon the American justice system. If you were about to be “put to sleep” for someone else’s crime, how would you feel? Would you feel happy and content, or would you feel wronged and soon, not feel at all?

And for my closing argument, I present, the great question of necessity. How much do we need this death penalty? The answer is that would don’t need it nearly enough for the harm it causes. "I believe that there are some people who have committed such unconscionable, heinous crimes that only removing them from the face of the earth will suffice. For that reason, I do believe there are times when nothing but the death penalty will do." - Kathie. Why not jail, if you’re so imminent on removing them from society, why not do it without blood, why stoop to their level? I can’t stress how similar but superior jail is. But you say they might get out? They might hurt a guard or a cellmate? Why do you people have so little faith in our prisons? Are our security systems so faltered and failed that we’d be susceptible to such liabilities? I believe our prisons are able to hold these criminals adequately, and if not, that is the problem to focus on.

In conclusion, I should have thoroughly proven my case on many fronts so as to leave you without doubt that the death penalty should be abolished. Whether it be the morality, the accuracy, or the superiority of our prisons, I believe that I have shown eye for eye is not the way.

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I can't say I disagree with any of your points, but have you considered the finacial burden life imprisonment places on the government/tax payers? Could these resources be used in more benificial ways?
Additionally, how does housing inhuman convicts with less dangerous convicts benefit the rehabilitation of those that will be released back into society?
Lastly, would you also suggest that early as well as late term abortions are a way for the government to determin who lives... (more »)